A holographic metasurface antenna (HMA) is controlled and operated by electronics that include thousands of individual elements. The correct behavior of the elements is typically verified for a range of temperatures for different object waveforms during the manufacturing process. However, once the HMA is physically installed and operated in a real-world environment, operation/behavior of the electronics and/or scattering elements can change when operating temperatures higher than the verified range are caused by environmental and/or operational factors. In the past, the supply voltage for all of the electronics has been increased to compensate for the high operating temperature and restore “normal” operation of the HMA. Unfortunately, over time, this type of compensation can cause a further increase in an already high operating temperature of the electronics and further degrade their ability to operate normally.
Alternatively, in the past, external cooling components have been attached to HMAs, such as heat sinks, fans, and coolant radiators. However, the extra cost, size, weight, and maintenance for such external cooling components has limited their adoption.
Thus, the various difficulties in thermally compensating for operating temperatures higher than a verified range of temperatures characterized for an HMA has created an opportunity for a solution that can be managed in software locally, or remotely, and does not employ costly additional cooling components to provide robust thermal compensation for HMAs in real world environments.